An international investigation has been launched into allegations that controversial South African wildlife trader Riccardo Ghiazza is illegally “laundering” endangered species in West Africa.
Ghiazza allegedly exports game illegally from one country and then obtains legal permits from another country in order to move the animals. He is accused of manipulating the permit system by currying favour with the presidents and high-ranking officials in West African countries by supplying them with game.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Safari Club International (SCI) which claims to be the largest international hunting and conservation organisation in the world and the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s antelope specialist group are investigating the allegations.
SCI documents allege that Ghiazza illegally captured and exported 11 Lord Derby eland and 33 Western roan antelope out of the Central African Republic in the middle of last year. Small populations of both species occur naturally only in parts of West Africa. “SCI has been informed that they left without the proper veterinary permits or export documents and without the authority of the Ministry [of Water Affairs and Forestry], through going directly to your president,” the SCI states in a letter to the minister last November.
The animals were then allegedly transported to Togo, where Ghiazza has close links with the ruling powers, and were given legal documentation in that country. They are presently being kept in South Africa. According to the IUCN, there are no Lord Derby eland in Togo and only a few remnant populations of Western roans. “Anyone permitting these animals to be imported from Togo should have questioned what was happening,” says an internal SCI report.
The SCI is concerned that “such uncontrolled and unauthorised shipments of game” out of the Central African Republic will have a negative effect on its hunting concessions and denude the country of its already scarce wildlife.
The hunting organisation’s internal report says Ghiazza went “straight to President Ange-Felix Patasse” for permission to export the animals. “He has unusual direct links to presidents of the Central African Republic, Togo, Gambia, Senegal and Zaire when Mobutu [sese Seko] was president.”
Last year Ghiazza exported two white rhinos from Mpumalanga to the president of Gambia. He has also reportedly created a game park for the president of Senegal near Dakar, in an area devoid of wildlife, and brought in kudu and other Southern African game. The author of the SCI report says he suspects Ghiazza is “lining up countries where he can export game illegally from one country and then obtain legal permits from the intermediary country”.
The 33 roans from the Central African Republic and eight eland three of the original 11 eland died en route were imported to an Mpumalanga game farm belonging to John Hume. They were originally destined to be in the country temporarily, but it now appears their stay will be permanent. Mpumalanga Parks Board officials explained this week that because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the province it is unlikely the animals can be sent out of the country. The eland are currently at the Johannesburg zoo while the roans are still in quarantine at Hume’s farm.
The animals are worth a small fortune: each eland is worth up to R700 000, while the roans can fetch about R30 000 each. The parks board confirms that the permits and documentation in support of the import of the animals into South Africa came from Togo, not the Central African Republic.
Ghiazza is dismissive of the allegations, describing them as lies being spread by angry members of the hunting fraternity. “They kill maybe 200 to 300 eland in the Central African Republic, but then they complain when I take out 10 or 11 for zoos,” he says.
He admits the animals came from the Central African Republic, but denies he took them out illegally. He also scoffs at the allegations that he is trying to influence West Africa’s leaders by supplying them with game: “I am not in a position to give presents. If anybody gets animals from me, they only get them because they pay the price.”
Ghiazza, who owns African Game Services in North West province, is due to appear in the Pretoria High Court on February 19 on charges of cruelty to 30 elephant calves captured in the Tuli Block in July 1998 and taken to his premises for training.